Rise of the Dead
by I8DaCookie
Summary: Van Helsing is sent to the Emerald Isle to destroy an ancient creature that is terrorizing a small town. What he finds instead is somthing much worse than he possibly could've imagined. (Summer Cliffhanger)
1. Prologue

**Ballyclonmor, ****Meath****, ****Ireland******

The town was quiet. It was late, most were in their homes, doing what they could to try to sleep. But sleep was often hard to obtain as of late. Something was happening to their small town, death seemed to linger over them and the feeling of dread couldn't be shaken.

_Six deaths in two weeks_.

All at the hands of the evil that plagued their town. The Banshee's wails still rang in their ears, someone was going to die tonight. And the sad thing was, everyone in the town was starting to get used to her keens. He was told to wait and watch for it, up in his wood tower, to warn everyone when it came. Maybe the one whose time was coming could be saved.

_What use is that? It's been tried before, why should it be different this time?_

Suddenly he felt a hand grab his shoulder. He jumped up to his feet and whirled around, awkwardly holding the blunt sword in his hand, pointing it at whoever was there.

"Careful Liam! It's only me, no need to go swing that thing around." said the stunned man in front of him.

"Connor, what are you doin' out here? Shouldn't you be inside like everyone else?" Liam leaned the sword back up against the wall of the tower, still shaking from his friend's unexpected arrival.

"Nah, I couldn't sleep. But who can? Figured you'd like a bit of company. Better to have two sets of eyes lookin' out rather than one." Connor offered him a wide smile. Somehow, that smile always made him feel better.

"Well, I can't argue with that." He said, doing his best to sound cheery. "Now, if only we had a bit of ale to calm me nerve, things would be even better." They laughed a quiet laugh. Turning from each other, they looked out over the land. Rolling green plains as far as the eye can see, only cut through by the river Boyne and the edge of forest in the far distance. The air was cold, a chill that went straight to the bones. The two men were shivering, making it hard to concentrate on their task.

"I would settle for a small fire." Connor said through his chattering teeth. Liam was ignoring him, something had caught his eye. Far in the distance, on the peak of a hill near the edge of the forest he saw a shadow. He squinted and leaned out a bit over the wall to try and get a better look. Connor noticed the look on his friend's face and looked in the direction Liam was looking. "What do you see?" he whispered.

Liam said nothing for the moment, then he pointed in the direction he had seen it. "There. A shadow, somethin' is movin'."

"Are you sure? Is it him?"

"I don't know." Liam said, slightly annoyed that he couldn't clearly see it.

"I could just be an animal, a sheep or somthin'."

Liam shook his head, "No, it's too tall to be a sheep, defiantly a man. Maybe we should sound…" Liam and Connor turned quickly to the other side of the tower where they heard the sound of horse crying out in the distance. There they saw the horseman and his steed on the road that lead to the river. Darkness seemed to surround it, its yellow eyes the only thing that was bright. It was rearing on its hind legs as it announced its presence. On its back, an odd looking man. They couldn't see what was wrong with him, he too was shrouded in darkness. And he seemed to be carrying a lamp in his hand. The horseman turned in the direction of the village and to charge at them.

Liam's mind started searching for where he had seen this man before. It gnawed at him, he could feel the name ebbing its way to his conscious memory. Then it hit him.

"DULLAHAN!" Liam cried as he rang the bell above him. Lights went up throughout the town as everyone woke up. The men ran out of their homes carrying whatever they felt could defend them.

"Are you sure that's what it is? I didn't think he came to these parts." Connor yelled as he and Liam climbed down from the tower.

"I'm sure of it. What else could it be?" Connor had no answer. When Connor reached the bottom, he grabbed a very sharp staff leaning against the tower. He ran to join the rest of the men gathering in the center of the town. There was a feeling of hopelessness among them, knowing that no matter what they tried to do, someone was going to die. Liam made his way next to his friend.

"The tales say there's only one thing that can stop a Dullahan…" Connor started to say.

"…And we don't have much of that around here." Liam interrupted. Connor reached for the cross that hung around his neck under his shirt and pulled it out, saying a quick prayer. There was silence all around them, and no sign of the Dullahan.

"Where is it?" someone whispered. The only thing that Connor could hear was his heartbeat.

The faint sound of a horse running was heard and quickly grew louder as the Dullahan rode closer. Each of the men prepaired themselves for the attack in their own way, unsure as to what to expect.

"Here he comes!" one of the men shouted.

The Dullahan came full speed towards the group and plowed right through the middle of them. Some men fled, some froze in fear, some tried to fight him off but they were knocked off to the side. The men were scattered around, either of their own will or the Dullahan's. The Dullahan turned and was charging towards Connor and Liam. They stood their ground, Connor pointing his staff and Liam holding his sword. Liam let out a battle cry and ran towards the Dullahan.

"Liam! NO!" Connor yelled, trying to reach for his friend.

Liam ignored him and swung his sword around. When he met the Dullahan, he was knocked off to the side. The Dullahan continued to charge towards Connor. He was frozen with fear, his mind kept telling him to run, move, jump, anything to get out of the way. The Dullahan was almost on top of him when it unexpectedly stopped, his horse rearing up. The Dullahan seemed to fear Connor. Connor stepped back, surprised at the turn of events. He couldn't help but look at the head that it carried in its hand. It glowed yellow like a lantern. This was the Dullahan's severed head.

Out of nowhere, Liam attacked the Dullahan. The Dullahan easily knocked Liam back. Using a rope, the Dullahan lassoed Liam's foot. With a quick kick, the Dullahan rode off, dragging Liam behind him. Connor watched in horror as his friend was being dragged off, dragged to his death, his cries for help quickly fading away.

Connor could do nothing but cry out in anger as the rest of the townspeople gathered. He turned around, looking at everyone else. His eyes caught a young woman's and they just stared at each other. She quickly looked away from him and made her way through the crowd away from Connor.

Liam was dragged for miles towards the forest. He cried in pain as the skin on his back was being torn at by the rough terrain. When they finally stopped, Liam could do nothing but curl up in a fetal position he was in so much pain. The Dullahan circled around him, seeming to analyze what he had caught.

"Good work, this one is perfect." The voice that Liam heard carried death on it. He could feel his heart stop, he had never heard something so evil in his life. A dark figure approached him, shrouded in a long dark cloak. He could tell it was a man, a very thin man with long limbs. Liam couldn't see his face, it was just empty. The man looked at the Dullahan and gave him a quick nod. The Dullahan turned its head towards Liam and they locked eyes. Liam could see the Dullahan's mouth move, saying his name. At that moment, Liam felt like he was being ripped out of body from the inside out. He could do nothing but scream.


	2. The Assignment

**Vatican City****, ****Rome****, ****Italy******

It was the same dream he had been having for the past seven months since his return to Rome. The blood on his lips and claws. The power he felt as the werewolf's blood ran through his veins. Only one thing was on his mind, kill everything. Once he had disposed of his main problem, Dracula, he could no longer distinguish between friend and foe. He had only seen her as a flash, she was a threat, she was going to destroy him…if he didn't destroy her first. His powerful muscles coiled, his heart pumped faster as the anticipation of the kill filled his thoughts. It only took a spilt second and everything released. He shot forward, jumping the incredible distance between him and his prey. He lunged for her and made contact. The force of his impact snapped her neck as they flew across the room and landed on the other side. She had died almost instantly, but not before injecting him with the serum, the cure to the werewolf disease. The werewolf within him slowly dissipated and with it, the cold reality of what he had done. He had known her for only a short time, but for that brief moment of time, it was the first time he had truly known happiness. He howled in anger, cursing whatever gods there were that caused this pain.

Gabriel Van Helsing shot up straight in his bed as he gave a loud yell, digging his hands into the mattress. He was hyperventilating and sweat rolled down his face. He looked down at his hands and could see they had slightly changed to the werewolf form. Lifting his right hand, he stared at it, concentrating on getting it to change back. When it was completely normal, he flexed his fingers while mentally making sure nothing else had changed as well.

_Nothing is ever completely cured_

He jumped to his feet and tensed up as someone had suddenly knocked at the door. His mind quickly ran through all the ways he could disable and possibly kill an intruder. He shook his head as he realized that: one – they were in the secret underground base of the Holy Order and that nothing would get through to this point unnoticed by anyone and two – an intruder hell bent on killing him wouldn't be knocking at his door.

"Come." He called out as he grabbed the shirt sitting on the corner of his bed. The door slowly opened as a young monk poked his head in. He looked a little scared as if Van Helsing was going to cut off his head. "Can I help you?" Gabriel asked a little impatiently.

"Cardinal Jinette has asked that you be summoned, he has an assignment for you." the monk stammered.

Van Helsing let out a very audible sigh. Just once he'd like to be summoned for something other than an assignment. "Tell him I'll be there momentarily." He finally said. The monk gave a quick bob of his head and hastily left the room. Gabriel stepped in front of the mirror and looked at the scar on the left side of his chest, the visible reminder of what happened to him, the change he had undergone. He still felt the werewolf's poison running through his veins. He didn't want to think about it anymore, he quickly put on his shirt, covering the scar.

As usual, the whole area was busy with activity. Men from all religions working on new devises, researching potential threats, and doing whatever they could to keep humanity safe from evil in the ways that they could.

_And when they find a threat they can't handle, they call me to do the dirty work._

Van Helsing weaved his way between all the people who were doing their best to concentrate on their work as he brushed past them. He had spotted Cardinal Jinette on the other side of the room, near a large map. He finally made his way over to him, "You wanted to see me, another assignment I have been told." He said.

Jinette pointed to the map projected on the wall, "You're needed here, in Ireland. More specifically in a town called Ballyclonmor. They've been plagued by a menace we've identified as the Dullahan." The projector changed to an image of the Dullahan, a dark, headless horseman. In is hand, he carried a head the color yellow by its grey hair. "He has been terrorizing them for the past two weeks but it was only recently that we found out that it was him. His first six victims were those who lived outside the town and there were no witnesses. His latest victim was taken from the town itself, roped and dragged off. It is presumed the victim is dead though none of the bodies have ever been recovered. So far he has claimed four men, two women and a child."

Gabriel stared at the image of the Dullahan, seemed simple enough, kill the bad guy by any means necessary. Couldn't be any worse than killing Dracula. Memories flashed through his mind at the thought of Dracula. He shook his head to clear his mind of the images, he needed to concentrate on this new mission.

"What does he do with the bodies he has taken?"

"We're not sure, but legend has it that the Dullahan kidnaps humans that he thinks may be suitable for the Fairy Queen so there may be a chance that those who have been taken are still alive." said a very familiar voice behind him. Gabriel turned around and was pleased to see a short friar standing behind him.

"Carl, it's good to see you." he said, smiling.

Carl just gave a short nod with his head, "I've taken the liberty of gathering usual items for your assignment, and a few new things I think may come in handy."

"Good, you explain them to me along the way." Gabriel said, clapping his friend on the shoulder. Carl's eyes went wide and his mouth opened and closed many times as he tried to come up with some sort of response. He huffed a bit and his face finally read acceptance with a touch of annoyance.

"You know, I just wish for once that my ventures outside the abbey wouldn't result in the possibility of me getting killed, hurt or maimed." He answered.

Gabriel smiled, "Don't worry, Carl. You might get _lucky_ on our trip." He said with a wink as he started off. Carl's eyes went wide and his jaw dropped, stunned at what he heard.

Shaking off his shock, Carl ran after Gabriel, "You knew about that?" he was heard calling after his friend.


	3. Ballyclonmor

**Somewhere in ****France******

Van Helsing sat back and watched the world go by through his window. The train was surprisingly smooth and provided a great view of the surrounding area. Sitting across from him was Carl, the friar he somehow always managed to bring along with him on his missions. Carl was very helpful though, he had a vast knowledge of weaponry and monsters from years he spent in his books. Van Helsing has complete faith in him to create the perfect weapon and how to kill the creatures he hunted. It was quite possible that Carl was the only person Van Helsing completely trusted, considering he kept quiet his darkest secret and was the only living person who knew.

Carl sat there rambling on about the history of Ireland. Van Helsing only picked up on a few things he was talking about: ancient Celts, the different invasions, the take over by the Protestants. Carl had stopped talking about whatever topic he was on at that moment and looked at him.

"Are you even listening to me?" Carl asked.

Realizing he was actually being addressed, he snapped alert and looked at Carl. "Sorry, I was…distracted by the uh…view." he replied, like a child caught in school daydreaming.

"This is important. Now…," Carl leaned forward to show him a page in the book he was holding, "…here's what we know about the Dullahan. The Dullahan is a headless rider who rides upon a black horse. He normally carries his head in his right hand. The head itself is the color and texture of stale dough or moldy cheese, and quite smooth. A hideous, idiotic grin splits the face from ear to ear, and the eyes, which are small and black, dart about like malignant flies. The entire head glows with the phosphorescence of decaying matter and the creature may use it as a lantern to guide its way along the darkened laneways of the Irish countryside. It is also said that where ever the Dullahan stops, a mortal dies. That's all we know, this book really doesn't have much and very little information on the Irish legends have reached us."

"Why is that?" Van Helsing asked.

Carl just shrugged his shoulders, "Possibly because no one was really interested and these legends only really survive in the remote areas in the countryside. When the Irish were converted to Catholicism, the legends were all but forgotten."

Van Helsing gave Carl a confused look, "If so little has made it out, how did you know about the 'Fairy Queen' reference?"

"Yes that. Well, so many of the legends meld into one another that they often have multiple names or it's multiple creatures that share one name. The 'Fairy Queen' reference is one of those things." Carl offered, "But the description is the only consistent thing among them."

"Any information on weaknesses, how am I supposed to kill it?"

"I'm not sure, there's a mention of some type of metal that may work, but it didn't specify what kind." Carl paused for a moment as he continued the thought in his head, "My resource wasn't a very good one on this mission, perhaps it's time we start doing field research again."

"Well, I guess that once we're done with our assignment, you'll have to spend some time doing just that." Carl seemed pleased at the notion of gathering the information for once instead of reading it from a book.

"So Carl, tell me about this town, any specific reason why this Dullahan is attacking them?"

"There's nothing special about it, it's a small town by the Boyne. Most of it's citizens are sheep herders, some fish, but other than that, there isn't much to it."

"So why would a creature such as this attack such an insignificant town in the middle of nowhere?" he mused. Carl had no answer.

**Coast of ****France**** to ****Dublin****, ****Ireland******

The train took them to the coast of France, where they departed and took a boat across the Celtic and Irish Sea to Dublin. They walked through Dublin trying to find someone that would sell them a horse. The city was busy with activity and no sign of anything out of the ordinary in this part of the country. Van Helsing had the strange sense of being home, like everything seemed to begin here. He heard Carl say something beside him and he realized he was standing in the middle of the road.

They had found some horses and packed their things on them and continued on their way through the final part of their journey.

**Ballyclonmor****, ****Ireland******

The sun was setting by the time they arrived in view of Ballyclonmor, they could see the tiny lights of the town starting to come on and the shadowy figures of its residents. As they made their approach, they could hear a bell ring from a tower that sat at the edge of the town. They watched as the people scrambled around frantically, some were running into the buildings, some were gathering in a large group near at the entrance of the main road that led into the town.

"It seems that once again, your reputation precedes you. We can only hope they don't try to kill us right away so that we may explain ourselves." Carl said with very little enthusiasm.

"Come now Carl, you need to start looking at the brighter side of things. Perhaps it's a welcoming party." He said, trying to not only reassure the friar, but himself. Gabriel had resigned himself long ago to the fact that he was never welcomed wherever he went.

"I am looking on the bright side of things. The dark side would be they would just attack the moment we entered the town and decapitate us. And then they could do all sorts of things with our bodies, they could…"

"Carl!" Gabriel couldn't take his depressing ramblings anymore, it was bad enough that they were going, once again, into an unwelcoming town but to have Carl conjure up the various deaths in his head wasn't helping his mood.

"I'm sorry, it's just that when I'm with you on these missions, I can't help but think these things." Gabriel could do nothing but roll his eyes and smile.

They had reached the large group of men gathered in the road. They all had some sort of "weapon", mostly large pointy sticks and pitchforks. Only a few had actual weapons. Van Helsing and Carl dismounted their horses, Carl stayed close to his horse in hopes that it would protect him from bodily harm. Van Helsing didn't want to hurt the people, but he made sure he kept his weapons close at hand just incase he need to have a little show of force. One of the men carefully approached, making sure he kept his pitchfork between him and the strangers.

"You're not welcomed here, leave before we have to hurt you." Said the man, he had a very heavy Irish brogue. There was definite fear in his voice.

Van Helsing did his best to be patient with them, they were only trying to defend themselves. And considering what they've already been through, he was impressed with how well they seemed to be taking his presence, "I've come to solve your Dullahan problem. I'm not your enemy but your ally."

"How do we know that you aren't the problem itself?" the man said suspiciously.

He was about to respond when someone called from the back, "Because he has a head on his shoulders and not in his hand." The mass of people parted slightly as the new man made his way forward. When he reached the front, he looked directly at Van Helsing. He was young, in his mid twenties and quite tall, standing just short of Van Helsing. His hair was dark brown and he had bright green eyes.

"Besides, it wouldn't be very smart of him to kill seven of our people and then just show up into our town." The man turned to the crowd of people, "He is not the one that's killed our friends, maybe he can help us." There was a murmur filtering through the crowd, most didn't want to fight so were willing to give the strangers a chance but there were still some that didn't trust them.

The younger man extended his hand towards Van Helsing, "My name is Connor Fitzpatrick, I'm the blacksmith and I welcome you to Ballyclonmor."

"Van Helsing, professional monster hunter. And this is my friend and colleague, Friar Carl."

There was a loud gasp at the mention of his name, "What proof more do you need Connor, the name of Van Helsing is the name of a murderer." came a shout from the back.

"Then lock your door if it'll make you feel better, I for one think that the stories have been greatly exaggerated. Besides, you didn't see this thing up-close, there's no way that this man is the Dullahan." Connor cried back.

Gabriel stood there, surprised and impressed that at least one person was willing to give him a chance and defend him against his own people. But he also picked up on the comment Connor had made and the tone his voice had taken.

_He's seen this thing close up. _

Another man in the crowd had said something to Connor in a different language which infuriated Connor. He looked as if he was about to attack the other man but was stopped by the firm hand of Van Helsing pressed against his chest.

"There's no need to get angry over this." he said to Connor, the tone of his voice indicating that he would intervene and it wouldn't be pretty.

Out of nowhere, a loud crying noise rang out. It seemed to be coming from everywhere. It was a woman's voice, wailing in pain for the loss of someone she cared about. Van Helsing drew out his tojo blades and took a defensive posture, anticipating an attack. He could see Carl out of the corner of his eye looking quickly around for something to come flying from the air.

"It's the Banshee, she cries for another's death!" a woman yelled.

Van Helsing was surprised to see that the townspeople did not run nor did they look frightened. Confused, he turned to Connor, "What is the Banshee? Why hasn't she attacked?" he asked.

"She's not going to attack, that's not what she does. She only warns of imminent death, the sound you hear is her keens, her mourning cry. Someone is going to die within the next day." He answered.

Just as suddenly as it had started, the wailing had stopped. The people looked sad, once again they had to worry about who would be next, each one hoping it wasn't them.

"Go back to your homes, there is nothing more we can do now." Someone had shouted. The people dispersed and glancing at Van Helsing as they walked away. Gabriel retracted his tojo blades and relaxed a bit. Carl came and stood next to him, not sure of what to do next.

Connor looked at the two of them, despair laid heavily on his face, "Let us hope, Mr. Van Helsing, that the Banshee did not foresee your death. May your hunt go well." He pointed to the forest on the hill behind them, "That is where the Dullahan dragged his seventh victim several nights ago. You might want to start there."

"Thank you for your help. I'll do all that I can to rid you of this menace." He said, trying to give some hope to the young man. Connor only nodded and then walked off.

"Well, that was an interesting start." was all Carl could say.


	4. The First Encounter

Night had fallen, the moon was shining brightly above and was just a few days from a full moon. Van Helsing could already feel the werewolf's power growing within him. Although he wasn't going to turn into one during the full moon, there were still lingering effects of the bite. His senses were sharper and he felt stronger. This would work to his advantage when it came to battling the evil the Holy Order had sent him after, but there was a down side. When he became extremely aggravated, he could feel the strong desires to lash out and there would be some physical change, usually in his hands. I would take every ounce of his self-control to calm himself and keep himself from hurting anyone.

But this night would be different, he would use the anger against the Dullahan and stop him. There was no doubt in his mind that he couldn't do it.

_If I could kill Dracula with this power, how hard could a headless horseman be?_

Besides him, Carl was obviously frightened. He didn't like being out in the dark looking for something that would most likely kill him. It seemed he wasn't the only one, their horses were extremely agitated, something was nearby.

"I don't see why we had to come out this very night. Couldn't we have waited at least until morning when we could see where we were going?" Carl said, breaking the silence.

"You heard what they said, the Banshee has seen someone's death. We better kill this thing before it kills its intended victim." Van Helsing was distracted, looking around and listening to something in the distance.

"From what I understand, the Banshee sees an unavoidable death. So no matter what we do, that person is going to die. With that in mind I suggest…" Carl was interrupted when Van Helsing abruptly stopped and dismounted his horse. He looked as if he could hear something in the distance. Carl slowly dismounted his horse and walked over to Van Helsing. "What is it?" Before Van Helsing could answer, the horses reared and took off in the opposite direction. Carl chased after them for a short distance but gave up.

"Well that's a good sign." Carl said as he walked back over to Van Helsing. Carl could see by the look on the hunter's face that something was coming. He continued to look down the road. Carl concentrated his hearing in hopes of hearing something, but he knew that Van Helsing's hearing was many times better than his own.

Carl started to think he heard hoofs when, without warning, Van Helsing drew out his pistols and shoved the friar off the road. Carl landed hard on the ground and yelped out in pain. Van Helsing jumped to the other side of the road as the rider appeared out of nowhere from overthe hill. As the rider passed, Van Helsing fired several rounds. The rider stopped a little ways down the road and turned around. His horse reared and Carl got a good look at him as he struggled to get up.

Although he expected it, the fact that the rider had no head on his shoulders still surprised the friar to no end. To him, in fact to anyone, it was just unnatural and would scare even the bravest of men.

_Except Gabriel Van Helsing. He's seen worse than a simple headless horseman._

The Dullahan raised his head high in the air. I had an eerie yellow glow that lit up the area. It seemed to be searching the area and then focused on the two men standing at the sides of the road.

Van Helsing was out of bullets. He quickly drew out his tojo blades which spun with a mechanical whine. The Dullahan charged towards him, faster than any rider he had ever seen before. He released one of the blades and it flew straight at the rider. It shot through the middle of its chest and out the other side. The Dullahan didn't even seem to register it and it certainly didn't slow it down. Van Helsing was about to release the other one, but the Dullahan was already on top of him. The horse kicked Van Helsing in the chest, throwing him far back. Then it turned to Carl

Carl had no weapons except for a bottle of holy water. He struggled to open the bottle but in his haste, he drops it and it bounces out of arm's reach. With nothing to defend himself with, he did what came natural to him.

"Van Helsing! I could use some help!" he cried. There was no sign of him, Carl feared that he had been seriously hurt. Or worse, killed. Carl braced for his own death, he watched as the Dullahan turned the head towards him. It gave him an evil grin and looked as if it was going to speak. It struck Carl how absurd it was that a decapitated head was going to talk to him.

Carl then became aware of someone yelling from somewhere behind him on his right. The Dullahan's face changed to that of surprise and what could be taken as fear. The horse began to back up away from him and was becoming very agitated. He became even more confused as someone stepped between him and the Dullahan.

The newcomer was yelling at the Dullahan in a language that Carl had never heard before and threatening it with simple wooden staff. He could tell by the voice that the newcomer was a woman. Whatever she was doing, it seemed to be working. The Dullahan continued to slowly and fearfully back away. Its horse reared up once more and with a final cry, the Dullahan took off down the road.

Carl didn't know what to make of it. He stared at the cloaked woman standing in front of him, her back towards him. He didn't understand how she was able to ward off the Dullahan with a stick when Van Helsing's own weapons had no affect.

Carl took a step closer to the woman and extended his hand, "Thank you so much for…" Carl was stunned at how fast the woman could move because before he knew it, she had whipped around and knocked his feet out from right under him. He found himself lying on his back as the woman stood over him, her staff pointed right at his face. Although the staff had no point on the end, there was no doubt in his mind that she could do some serious damage to him with it. She yelled at him in the same language that she used against the Dullahan.

"I'm sorry, I don't understand your language." Carl quickly said.

The woman opened her mouth to say something more when another voice came from behind her. "Because he is a man of God and you wouldn't want his death on your head." Carl heard Van Helsing say. Carl could see him slowly walking closer, holding his side and limping slightly. The woman looked at Carl for a moment then stepped back away from him.

She turned to Van Helsing, "Who are you two and what are you doin' out here in the middle of the night?" Suspicion dripped from every word. Like everyone else in the town, she had a very heavy Irish brogue.

"We've been sent here to kill the Dullahan. Unfortunately it seems we were greatly unprepared." He said as he helped Carl to his feet. He sounded only annoyed at the fact, but being unprepared seemed to be a usual problem of his as of late.

She gave a small laugh, "I would have to agree with you, you were very unprepared. Looks to me as if you barely got out alive and your friend here was just about to have the very life of him ripped from his body." She said, quite amused at the situation, "Tell me, what exactly were you tryin' to use to kill the Dullahan?"

"Bullets, blades, if my horse hadn't run off I would've used my crossbow. Nothing seemed to work. What is it that you used, it worked quite well." He said carefully, if he wanted her help, he needed her trust.

She planted her staff in front of her and twisted it around. The side that faced him had a gold colored cross on it, not very ornate and about three inches in length. "The Dullahan fears gold, it's the only defense we have against him, that is now that we know he is the one behind the deaths. You would be wise to carry some around with you."

"We'll be sure to do that. Thank you for helping us." Van Helsing extended his hand towards her, "My name is Gabriel Van Helsing and this is Carl."

The woman looked at his hand for a moment and then hesitantly put her hand in his, "Kathleen O'Reilly."

Van Helsing smiled, this was a good start.


	5. Gathering Information

They walked silently for the most part back to the town. Van Helsing could see that the young woman was still very suspicious of the two men. The feeling was mutual. There was no good reason for her to be walking out alone in the middle of the night, in the middle of nowhere, while a dangerous creature was out. Granted she knew how to defend herself and she did save their lives, but there was something about her that made Van Helsing very uneasy. It wasn't evil he sensed, but something else that seemed off.

They had reached the town and passed the stables that were just outside the town. Van Helsing could see that their horses had safely found their way and were resting comfortably inside. He made a mental note to see if they couldn't trade their horses for braver ones, it would be very inconvenient if every time they went out their horses ran away in fear.

Carl had also noticed their horse had made it back, "I'm going to gather our things from the horses and return to the inn. Now that I know its weakness I'll be able to come up with something to kill it." He turned and headed off towards the stables.

Van Helsing turned to woman, Kathleen. He still couldn't get a good look at her since she still wore her long cloak with the hood up and it was dark out with most of the lights in the town were off.

"And this is where I leave you Mr. Van Helsing. You should have someone take a look at you, the doctor is in that building over there." She quickly said and started to turn to leave.

Van Helsing couldn't let his one opportunity for information leave, "Wait. I would very much like to speak with you. You seem to be one of the few people that can be of any help here and whatever you can tell me about the Dullahan would be useful." She stared at him, considering what he had said. When it seemed that she would decline, he added, "When the Dullahan is killed, no one in you town would have to fear any longer." This seemed to drive it home. He could tell by her body language that she wanted nothing more than to have the Dullahan disposed of, like everyone else in the town.

"How 'bout a drink. The pub is still open, we can talk there." She offered.

Van Helsing nodded in agreement, "Lead the way."

They walked a short distance to one of the few lit buildings. Inside, several of the townspeople had gathered. It seemed that there was a lot of commotion going on inside and it would make anyone passing by believe that nothing was wrong. Van Helsing opened the door and let Kathleen enter first. As they entered, they were greeted by silence as the patrons watched him with suspicious eyes.

"And what are you starein' at?" she demanded of one of the nearby men.

"Sorry Kathleen, we're just not comfortable with him around. He's a murderer you know, you'd be best to take care of yourself." the man replied.

"It seems to me that you've go your hands on the wrong information. I've walked over here with him from the fields and obviously I'm still alive. Now you better be goin' about your own business and stop worrin' about him. We have bigger problems out there than mortal men." She turned away from the other men and directed Van Helsing to one of the empty tables on the other side. The noise began to grow as the rest of the people began to mind their own business.

Van Helsing finally got his first real look at Kathleen. She removed the cloak and placed it on a hanger nearby. She was quite short, no taller than five four. Her light red hair hung just below her shoulders and was clipped back, but there was still a disorderly look to it. Her eyes were a dark green and her skin was pale, too many cloudy days and not enough sunny ones. Her clothing was simple; a white blouse, a black buttoned vest, and a long, dark blue skirt. It was the look of someone from the country. What really struck him was how young she was. She looked to be in her early to mid twenties, twenty-four at the most.

"Would you like anything to drink, Mr. Van Helsing?" she asked.

"Whatever you suggest would be fine with me." He said as he sat down.

Kathleen turned towards the bartender, "Michael, two whiskeys." Van Helsing was quite impressed with her choice of drink. She took the seat across from him, taking a position that would allow her to quickly jump out of her seat if need be. They said nothing to each other for awhile until after the barmaid brought their drinks.

After taking a sip her drink, Kathleen finally spoke, "So, what would you like to know?"

"Why is the Dullahan attacking your town?"

"I don't know." she replied.

"Is there any connection between those that have been taken? Any you can think of?"

She thought about it for a moment, "There seemed to have been one before the latest attack. The first six victims didn't live within the town walls, but in cottages further out and they were taken straight from their homes. That's why we didn't know what it was until this latest attack when he actually came into the town. We were so unprepared…" she trailed off in her thought. He watched as tears began to well up in her eyes, then her brows crossed and she looked directly at him, "Which brings me to wonder how you knew what it was and got here so quickly when we ourselves didn't find out until just a few days ago. Care to explain that?"

"When it comes to evil, word reaches my ears quite fast." It was the only answer he was going to give her. It would be too complicated to explain to her about the Holy Order and besides, as Cardinal Jinette said himself, "We do not exist."

She didn't seem too pleased with that explanation but the expression on his face indicated that he wouldn't go into detail. Van Helsing looked up past Kathleen towards the door where Connor had entered. Kathleen turned around, he watched as her body tensed up as she quickly turned back. The look on her face read that Connor was the last person in the world she wanted to see. Unfortunately for her, Connor had spotted them and was approaching.

"Hello Van Helsing." Van Helsing returned the greeting. Connor then turned towards Kathleen. They looked at each other for a moment, Connor became stone-faced. "Kathleen." he said stoically.

"Hello, Connor." She replied just as stoically.

"Kathleen was just providing me with some information about the Dullahan's attacks." The air was becoming unbearably uncomfortable and it was making Van Helsing very agitated.

"Well you're in luck. Kathleen can answer almost any question you have pertaining to the attacks," Kathleen's eyes flashed in anger, Connor ignored the look and turned to Van Helsing, "you just need to ask the right questions."

"I will provide him with all the information I know, I would like to see this end as much as you do." Van Helsing could hear the anger rise in her voice. There was defiantly something more to this than they were letting on and he planned on finding out what it was.

Connor seemed to be ignoring Kathleen and continued to focus his attention on Van Helsing. "Word has gotten around that you've encountered the Dullahan and that you failed in disposing of him."

"I didn't have the necessary information. He won't be so lucky the next time."

"Unfortunately, someone is still going to die today." Connor glanced at Kathleen one last time then turned back to Van Helsing. "May you be more victorious in your next hunt and prevent any further deaths at the hands of the creature." And with that, Connor left them.

Van Helsing turned his attention back to Kathleen who was hanging her head, slightly propped up by her hands. He could see a tear run down her face. He wasn't sure what to say to her, there was obviously some history between them that was very painful. This wasn't the sort of thing he normal had to deal with.

Looking over at Van Helsing, Kathleen straightened up and composed herself. "I'm sorry about that."

"There's no need to apologize, things are very stressful for all of you. It's understandable that even the best of friends can become angry with each other," he offered, "It just seems strange that he would be under the impression that you know more about the attacks then everyone else." He wasn't sure if this was the right time to start pressing the issue, but his gut feelings were too strong to be ignored. He could see her tense up at his implication. She didn't seem to have a response for him, he could see her mind racing as she thought of something to say.

"He's just uh…angry, looking for someone to blame for all of this. His best friend was the latest victim and he feels like it should've been him that was taken and not Liam." She finally said, "The Dullahan had charged to Connor but was stopped by something, then Liam came and attacked but knocked down then dragged off. It was the only attack in the town itself."

Van Helsing could see that there was no lie in what she was saying, but she was still holding something back and was about to press on further when a there was a scream coming from outside. He quickly jumped out and ran for the door, followed by everyone else in the pub.

He was prepared for an attack and looked around to see where the Dullahan would be coming from. Instead, all he could see was a woman running and crying hysterically through the town. He watched as someone ran up to her and grabbed her, wrapping his arms around her. The woman collapse into the man's arms and began to sob uncontrollably. The rest of the people gathered around to see what the commotion was all about.

"Sarah, what happened? Tell me what this is all about." said the man holding the woman identified as Sarah. She couldn't make coherent words but the man holding her seemed to understand what she was saying. He looked up at everyone with a grave face.

"The Dullahan has taken Brian, he was outside chasin' one of the dogs when it came and took him away." The entire town became silent except for Sarah's loud weeping. A few slowly turned to Van Helsing and gave him accusing looks. He could feel his anger rising, he did feel responsible for Brian's death. His being unprepared that night had allowed the Dullahan to take another life.

"Return to your homes, and pray that the Banshee sees no more deaths tonight." The man holding Sarah said. The group of people slowly started to disperse, the woman Sarah was being led away.

Carl had heard the screaming from in his room and came running to Van Helsing. He was scared out of his mind, thinking the Dullahan had attacked, but he was relieved to see everyone was just simply walking away. "What was that all about? Sounded like someone was dying out here." he said.

Van Helsing wasn't paying any attention to him. Instead, he watched as a cloaked figure walked quickly away to the edge of the town.

Van Helsing was surprised as to how fast Kathleen could walk but he was able to catch up to her very quickly. Carl followed as fast as he could but he wasn't build for sprinting. They had reached her just outside the town walls.

"Why have you done nothing to prevent those deaths?" he yelled at her.

"I don't know what you're talkin' about?" she said quickly, Van Helsing could hear the fear in her voice.

"You know exactly what I'm talking about, don't play innocent with me." Van Helsing ran and blocked her path and grabbed her by the shoulders, forcing her to look him directly in the eyes, "You have foreseen each one of those deaths and have done nothing to stop them." He could feel the anger rise through his blood. Kathleen looked away from him, unable to look at him in the face any longer.

"Why would she be able predict the deaths of those people? The only one that we know of so far that could do that is…the…" At that moment, Carl realized what Van Helsing was implying.

"…Banshee." Van Helsing finished.


	6. Origins of the Banshee

"Banshee?" Carl stood there in disbelief, unable to wrap his mind around the idea. "But that's impossible. The banshee is a fairy, not a human and she's never seen, only heard."

"It seems your information was wrong Carl. This woman is in fact a banshee." Van Helsing let Kathleen go but continued to stand in front of her. At that moment, she seemed so small, he towered over her and it was like she was growing even smaller.

"How is that even possible? The legends make no mention of a human ever being a banshee. They make reference to the fact that the banshee can take the form of a loved one that has passed on and that she can look like anything from a young woman to an old hag, which would work here in…"

"Carl!" Van Helsing yelled, he was getting a little tired of Carl's ramblings. But he knew he only did that when was nervous.

"Sorry." He said quickly.

Van Helsing turned his attention back to Kathleen. He watched as her body shook as she held any emotions she was feeling. He could only guess at was running through her mind. "Would you care to give us an explanation as to why it is possible for you to be a banshee?"

Kathleen turned away and walked to a large rock nearby. She sat down on it, bringing her knees close to her body and lowering her hood. He could tell she would need a moment to gather her thoughts, it's not everyday she has to explain her deepest secret to someone. She didn't focus on either one of the two men, but out over the fields in the far distance. Carl began to wonder if she would ever speak.

"You of all people should know that legends stem from truth; they're all based on something real, even if the end result is far different then the reality." She finally said. "This is no different. The reality is…that when a woman dies during child birth and she gives birth to a female, there is a chance that the child would be cursed; starting their life in death. There are several conditions that must all be true for the curse to take affect. It all depends on how the mother died, at what stage the mother died when the child was being born, things like that." Emotions became too much for her as a painful memory surfaced and she had to stop to regain her composure. "My mother bled to death and I was born covered in her blood. I began my life by seeing death. And I would be cursed to see death, to sense death, for the remainder of my life." Kathleen lowered her head, unable to speak any longer.

Van Helsing could do nothing but stand and listen. He had gotten to the truth but it was far from what he expected. There were still questions he had, but he couldn't bring himself to ask them.

But it seemed that Carl's curiosity was much stronger than his own, "How did the truth behind the banshee go from that to being a mythical fairy?" Van Helsing felt a little angry towards the friar but he knew that the questions needed to be asked.

Kathleen lifted her head and took in a deep breath as she thought about the question, Van Helsing could see her mind search for an explanation. "People want a reason for why things happen in the world around them. Why the sun rises, why the moon has phases, why the seasons change. They need it explained, so they come up with stories for why they happen. It's been happening for millennia in every culture around the world. My culture is no exception. From the beliefs they held at the time when we first appeared and few sightings of a banshee, the legend grew. And those who are like me have allowed everyone to belief in the legend instead of giving them the truth." She looked directly at Van Helsing, "You have no idea what it's like to carry such a burden and fear that people would discover what you really are."

Van Helsing gave her a small smile, "Actually, I do."

She gave him a confused look but before she could ask him what he meant, Van Helsing held his left side and began to collapse. Carl grabbed him the by arm and caught him before he could fall, guiding him to the ground. He then propped him up a fence pole nearby. Kathleen rushed over and knelt by Van Helsing.

"I'm alright, just a little pain." He said, trying to reassure them.

"If that were true, you wouldn't have collapsed. Let me see." She said sternly.

Reluctantly, Van Helsing let Carl help him remove his coat from his left arm and lifted his shirt. There, they could see a large bruise in the shape of a hoof.

"Looks like the horse kicked you harder than you realized, it looks bad." Carl said.

"Looks can be deceiving." Kathleen said then turned to Carl, "Go back into town, down the main road. Take the first left, walk to the next street and on the right-hand side, the house next to the one on the corner is the doctor. Bring him back here. Tell him I sent you."

"Right." He turned to Van Helsing, "I'll be back soon." Carl ran as quickly as he could. Van Helsing could only laugh as the friar seemed to waddle a bit as he ran.

"So, how bad does it look?" he asked, now that Carl wasn't there to blow everything out of proportion.

"Bruised rib, maybe cracked. Don't worry, you're not going to die." Van Helsing had no reason to doubt her. If he was going to die, she would sense it. "Just sit back and wait for the doctor, he's the best there is."

"You never did answer my initial question." Feeling that since they were going to just sit there until Carl returned, he figured he'd get more answers.

Kathleen moved to a sitting position and looked down at her hands. "There's nothing I can do. I see death that will happen and nothing can stop it from happening."

"You could at least try, warn the victim before the Dullahan kills them, giving them some advantage." Van Helsing could see her anger rising. But it wasn't directed towards him, it seemed like it was more towards herself.

"I have tried. Do you honestly think I've spent my entire life seeing the deaths of those I care about and not tried to save them. There's nothing anyone can do about natural causes, but accident's and murder…but there's no stopping them. No matter what I've done, it happens exactly as I've seen it. Sometimes, it was my effort to save them that cause their deaths." There was guilt in her voice.

"That's why Connor is angry with you, he knows what you are and feels that you should've been able to save his friend." Van Helsing said, making the connection.

"Our friend," she corrected, "Only one of two people that knew. But I gave up warning people directly years ago. Now, like everyone else, he has to listen for my keens and wonder who is next."

"Keens? You mean you're cries. You still haven't explained that."

"Seeing the death of someone is very painful and traumatic. When I have a vision, the only thing I can do is cry out. It is the cry of every person in the town, past and present. I am the voice of every person." Kathleen got very quiet as she spoke. Her face suddenly changed to very sympathetic and she looked directly at Van Helsing. "Who was she?"

"I don't want to talk about it." He said after a moment, his mind had wandered to Anna and Kathleen had picked up on it. He couldn't look at the young woman

"I'm sorry. It's just her death weighs heavily on you, I can't help but feel it." She said sympathetically.

Feeling he had to give her some sort of explanation, he said, "She was someone I cared about very much. I guess I still haven't gotten over her death."

He was surprised to feel Kathleen's hand on his. A strange feeling came over him as he watched Kathleen go into some sort of trance. Her eyes began to well up as a sense of peace came over him.

Coming out of her daze, she looked him in the eyes. "You no longer have to mourn her alone." Van Helsing didn't know what to say, no one had every offered to take the burden from him. "And for what it's worth, I don't think you are to blame."

"Thank you." He finally said.

At that moment, Carl had arrived with the doctor.


	7. A New Adversary

The sun had barely set when the town was weighed down by fear once again. After three days of silence, Kathleen had another vision and her cries were evidence that the Dullahan wasn't finished yet. Van Helsing knew he had to find her to get the location of the Dullahan's next victim and do whatever he could to stop it. He wasn't sure where he would find her since she had never disclosed where she resided.

Van Helsing was saddling up his horse when Carl walked over, carrying a box of ammunition. "Gold tipped bullets. Gold is hard to come by and we still don't know how much is needed to kill him, if that's even the way to kill him. Use them sparingly." He said sternly.

"I'll just ask him to stand still while I fire at him, that should guarantee I don't miss and waste bullets." He said sarcastically as he led his horse from the stable.

Outside, he was greeted by the sight of Kathleen on her own horse, prepared to go along with the monster hunter. She had changed from her long skirt to a pair of pants more suitable for fighting in. He could see that she was carrying a dagger and the same staff she had used against the Dullahan the first time they met.

"If you think I'm going to allow you to come along, you are greatly mistaken." Van Helsing said firmly.

"My land, my legends. You don't know who or where he's going to strike next, I do. And if you want to know, you have to take me with you." She dismounted her horse, wanting to be on the same level as he was, even though she stood a foot shorter than he did. He could see that there was more on her mind. "There's something else. There's another presence there, someone other than the Dullahan, filled with evil and…death."

"What is it?" He didn't like where she was going with this.

"I don't know, it's been there during the other deaths attributed to the Dullahan only more like a distant shadow. I didn't think much of it before but this time it was stronger, as if it wanted to be seen." There was fear in her voice. Whatever it was, it scared her greatly.

He thought about it for a moment, considering all that she had told him. "Alright, seeing as I have no choice but to let you come with me. Carl, stay here just incase something goes wrong."

Carl let out the breath he was holding in. As much as he felt bad for being somewhat of a coward, he really didn't want to go risking his life.

Kathleen and Van Helsing mounted their horses and set off with Kathleen leading the way. As they reached the border of the town, she paused for moment and looked at Van Helsing.

"She's going to die, if she isn't dead already, there's no saving her. Just stop the Dullahan and let her be the last victim." She said grimly.

"I understand." He then gestured for her to lead the way and they took off.

It didn't take long for them to reach the small cottage that resided alone far outside the town. If it wasn't for the threat that loomed over the entire area, it would've been a nice place to live, a very scenic area with a nice view of the river nearby. As they approached, they could see that the lights were off but the front door was wide open. The house looked abandoned. There was a chill in the air and the wind started to pick up. The nearly full moon cast an eerie glow on the house.

They dismounted their horses at some distance from the house, not wanting the horses to get in the way. They slowly made their way up to the house.

"Just remember, don't listen when he says your name. He calls for your spirit and you can't escape it. As long as you don't hear him say it, you'll be fine." She whispered

He just nodded. Van Helsing took this opportunity to load his pistols with the new bullets Carl had provided. After filling the first one, he handed it over to Kathleen. She took it, looking at it as if it was some strange creature.

"I've never fired a gun before." she confessed.

"Not much to it, point and shoot. Do what you can to hit the target."

She tucked it into her belt and tightened her grip on her staff. Van Helsing became silent as he listened for the Dullahan. They reached the house, there was no sign of the Dullahan but there was evidence that something had happened.

"Who lives here?"

"Her name is Bridget. She helped me out after my father died." She said sadly.

"She lives alone?" it seemed odd to him that another woman would be living on her own as Kathleen did.

"No, she has a husband and a three year old son. He went to Dublin on business and to see family. She was too ill to travel and remained behind. It's going to kill John when he finds out." Van Helsing could hear the guilt that lay heavily on her voice. Her eyes suddenly went wide, "He's still here." She said quietly.

Van Helsing listened for the Dullahan, then broke out into a sprint away from the house. He could feel the werewolf in him surfacing, making him feel stronger and faster. He heard the Dullahan nearby and he wasn't about to let him get away this time. He could sense him, feel that he was close.

_Just over the hill, he's right there, just over the hill…_

Feeling the werewolf's power overcome him, he leaped forward, his hands partially in werewolf form. He rammed hard into the Dullahan, taking him by surprise, the force of his momentum sending them both flying through the air and onto the ground. They rolled together for a short distance. Van Helsing quickly landed on his feet, howling like an animal encountering its prey.

*****

Kathleen watched as Van Helsing sprinted off in another direction. She called out after him and started to chase him but he was much faster than she was. She stopped after a few steps, there was something supernatural about him that frightened her. She could see him leap in the distance followed shortly by what sounded like the howl of a wolf. She stood frozen, unable to wrap her mind around what was occurring. She had learned that he once was a werewolf from when she had connected with him to see the death that hung over his head and take on some of his pain, but it never occurred to her that there were still remnants left.

Then she felt it, back at the house just a few feet away from her, the presence of death. She slowly turned back around and faced the house. She never feared death, she saw it too often. But this was different, this time she was frightened. Gripping her staff tighter, mentally checking on the position of the dagger and gun, she slowly made her way into the house.

It was dark inside. But everything looked like someone had been there recently, food was on the table, clothes were being folded, a book was left on the counter. She knew Bridget was taken by surprise.

She continued to follow the presence, through the main room, down the hall to the back door into the garden. Stepping outside she could see that no one was there. She listened as hard as she could but all she could hear was her heart pounding in her ears. She walked further outside, still feeling the presence around her, he was there. Then it concentrated behind her and she whirled around.

There she faced a figured cloaked in black. By the small amount of light emanating from the moon, she could see he was very thin and his skin was ashen. But what couldn't be seen was the thick feeling of death that was wrapped around him. She stood there staring at him, knowing she had seen him before. Slowly, her mind comprehended who he was.

"You're the one with the Dullahan when he takes the life from his victim. The presence of death." She managed to say.

"You're the one that sees death. I'm sorry to have caused you so much pain." His voice dripped with evil, like nails scrapping across a board and a dying animal mixed into one. It sent chills up her spine.

*****

Van Helsing watched as the Dullahan struggled to get up. It seemed that not having a head made it harder for it to lift itself up. He noticed that the head was still on the horse, tied up and hanging at the side. He slipped out his tojos and wound them up. The noise spooked the horse which took off, taking the head with it.

He turned the body, which had managed to get itself up, and smiled.

"Looks like it's just you and me buddy." With that, he let the blades go flying towards the body. The first one sliced through the left shoulder and the second went through the gut. Van Helsing knew, from past experience, that it wouldn't stop the Dullahan. But it did make him feel better.

Even without its head, the Dullahan was still able to figure out the direction that Van Helsing was in. Unsheathing his sword, the Dullahan charged. Van Helsing pulled out his pistol with the gold tipped bullets and fired several rounds. The Dullahan stopped in its tracks and slowly fell to the ground, first falling to its knees then plummeting forward with a thud.

Van Helsing slowly approached, not one to fully believe a monster is dead even when it's lying on the ground bleeding. It was hard to tell if the gold bullets had worked, the Dullahan was an already dead creature so looking for the usual signs of life wouldn't work in this case. Using his foot, he rolled the body over onto its back to inspect it.

It seemed to be the opportunity the Dullahan was waiting for. It grabbed Van Helsing by the foot and knocked him off his feet. It then rolled over and got to its feet, lifting its sword high in the air for the kill.

Van Helsing rolled out of the way as the blade came down towards him. Jumping quickly to his feet, he pulled out his shot gun and fired. As before with the tojo blades, it didn't even seem to register with the Dullahan. He could feel his anger rise and the werewolf in him surface again.

Just as he was ready to charge, Van Helsing had to jump back as the Dullahan's horse returned and ran straight for him. As the horse passed by, the Dullahan's body somehow grabbed hold and swung on to the horse. He watched as the Dullahan rode away. He was about to pursue when he heard Kathleen scream in the distance.

*****

"Who are you?"

"I have long since forgotten my own name. When you've lived as long as I have, trivial things such as a name have no meaning anymore." He seemed to revel in the fact, "But I am known by one name, I am the Necromancer."

She couldn't contain the shock and it read clearly on her face, "Bringer of the Dead. You killed those people."

"Technically the Dullahan did that. He has no use for the bodies, I have no use for the spirit. We mutually benefit from our arrangement." He said smugly.

Kathleen's anger rose and overshadowed her fear. She swung her staff around, aiming for his head and torso. She wanted nothing more than to knock him down and bash his head in. Never in her life had she ever wanted to take another's, but she could make the exception here.

She underestimated his speed. He dodged blow after blow, moving faster than anything she had ever seen in her life. He got behind her and knocked her off her feet, sending her tumbling to the ground. She cried out in pain as her face hit a rock. Her staff went flying out of her hand and out of reach. She quickly got to her feet and faced him, tasting the blood that ran from the cut on her lip. Her head hurt and could feel a bruise forming over her left eye.

"Is that the best you can do?" he taunted.

"Not even close." She said through clenched teeth. She pulled out the gun Van Helsing had given her and aimed it at the Necromancer's head. Just as she was about to pull the trigger, the Necromancer raised his right hand with his palm facing her.

She was besieged by visions of death, deaths of those past. Ones that had occurred at the hands of the Dullahan and ones that had happened long before. She had seen those deaths before, she had mourned those deaths, she had cried out at those deaths before they had even happened.

Unable to keep her grip, she dropped the gun and fell to her knees. Tears were rolling down her face as she cried from the pain of witnessing those deaths once again. She could feel him moving closer to her. Trying to protect herself from him, she curled into a fetal position, screaming and crying in pain.

What really frightened her was she could feel the build up of a keen, her mourning cry that would ring out for miles around. She tried to suppress it, do anything she could to keep it from happening, this wasn't the time for a keen.

Just as she felt she couldn't hold it in any longer, the visions stopped. She was vaguely aware of what was going on around her, but she didn't care. She only wanted to welcome the darkness that was swiftly enveloping her.

*****

Van Helsing wasn't sure what he was seeing as he ran to where Kathleen was. As he approached, he could see Kathleen curled up, screaming as a dark figure stood over her. He aimed his gun and fired, hitting the dark figure in the shoulder. A cry of pain emanated from it and it turned towards Van Helsing. Van Helsing could see the figure was robed in black, very skeletal looking. He also noticed a large amulet hanging from its neck.

Before the figure could charge, Van Helsing fired again but this time the figure managed to dodge his bullets. Giving one final yell, the figure sank into the ground and disappeared.

Van Helsing ran to Kathleen. She laid there unconscious. He gently tried to shake her awake, but it didn't work. He finally resorted to the smelling salts he carried with him. As he waved them under her nose, he could see here eyes slowly flutter open.

"Kathleen, wake up." He said with authority.

Her eyes had fully opened and she looked at his face. Fear encompassed her face and she began to fight him, trying to get away from his grasp. He could see that she didn't recognize him, she was still far within her mind.

Not letting her go, he shook her a little harder, "Kathleen, it's me! Van Helsing! I'm not going to hurt you. You need to come back, wake up!" He watched as she shook her head as if waking from a dream. She looked at him with recognition.

"Van Helsing?" she said, sounding confused. "Where is he? Where did he go?"

"Who? That thing that just here? I took a few shots at him and he just…disappeared." He didn't like it when things got away from him. "What was he doing to you?"

"He…he showed me death. Deaths that have already passed, deaths that I've seen already. He almost made me keen. I don't know how he did it." she looked Van Helsing in the eyes, "He called himself…the Necromancer."

*****

"The Necromancer?" Carl said, alarmed at the new development. Van Helsing began questioning the friar as soon as he and Kathleen returned to the town. Van Helsing paced around the room as Kathleen sat in a chair by the window. She looked like she had been violated, and in a way, she had.

"Well, he's a warlock. One that is capable of bringing the dead to life, creating zombies to do his biding. Is that what we're now up against?" Carl asked, starting to panic.

"It seems to be that way." How he hated when things turned for the worst. He wondered why nothing could be simple anymore. "What else can you tell me? More to the point, how do we kill him?"

Carl did his best to gather his wits and do his job, he was the one who could find the information. He picked up a nearby book and flipped through a few of the pages. Finding the right page, he quickly translated the text. "Well, according to this, the Necromancer isn't actually one person, but several people in succession. Once the previous Necromancer gets too old, he passes his power on to the next person, his apprentice. But the Necromancer lives to be very old, several hundred years in fact. Let's see…" Carl flipped through a few more pages, trying to find the relevant information. Van Helsing was growing impatient.

"He knew what I was." Kathleen suddenly said.

Van Helsing walked over to her and put a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "You knew what he was, you felt him. It's no surprise that he knew what you were."

"It's worse than we thought. It's not just the Dullahan, he's only the puppet. Now we have a puppet master." She said bleakly.

"Here it is!" Carl yelled. Running over excitedly, he pointed to a picture "The way to destroy the Necromancer is to remove his source of power. His amulet."

The amulet had a black stone for its center, surrounded by a black metal in the design of two black, skeletal birds whose wings held the stone. There were also skeletons and skulls as part of the design.

"That's the same one I saw him wearing. So we have to remove this and he'll be powerless. Sound's like a plan." Van Helsing said.

"It's not that simple. The influence of the amulet is so strong that anyone who picks it up will be consumed by it and become the next Necromancer. So even if you kill him, there's still the amulet to deal with. And according to this, no one is safe from its influence." Carl said, stressing his point.

Van Helsing turned and looked out the window, wondering how they were going to get out of this one.


	8. Night of the Full Moon

Van Helsing was surprised to see Kathleen riding up at full speed. It had been two days since their first encounter with the Necromancer and she had withdrawn from everyone around her. He could tell by the look on her face that whatever it was she had to say, it was urgent. He wondered if she had another vision but managed not to cry out loud, but he knew that was not possible.

"It's tonight! Whatever he is planning, it's going to be tonight." She said as she dismounted her horse.

"How do you know this?" He never did quite understand where her insight came from but so far, it was dead on.

"Can't you feel it? There's death all around us, like a heavy fog. Besides, bad things usually happen during a full moon, that's tonight." That fact hadn't slipped his mind. He knew full and well that it was a full moon, the werewolf part of him was always strongest during a full moon.

"Carl! Saddle up, we're going hunting." Carl disappeared back into the inn to gather the necessary weapons as Van Helsing made his way to the stables.

Right behind him, Kathleen followed. "I'm coming with you." She called to him.

"Not this time, you're staying here."

"The bloody hell I am. I'm a part of this whether you like it or not. You need me."

Van Helsing swiftly turned around and stood face to face to the young woman. "You're too vulnerable. He can force those images into your head again and you wouldn't be much use to me then."

"I can feel him, feel his presence. You need that edge to know he's coming, him and the Dullahan." She looked him straight in they eyes and he could see that there was more to it than her just wanting to go in for a fight, "He's killed my people, he's using their bodies for his evil purposed. I've had to watch nine of my people die horrifically, people I care about. I want…I need to see this through."

To him, it was another job. To her, it was personal. He could understand that. His mind raced through his options. He could refuse to let her come but she would most likely follow anyway. He could knock her out and leave her behind. Or he could let her come.

"Alright, you can come. But I can't look out for you, I have the feeling I'll have much on my hands." He turned back around and made his way to the stable.

"Thank you." She said, but she wasn't sure he heard her. She turned and walked back to her own horse. She loved feeling his chocolate fur and gave him a quick rub on the forehead, then proceeded to tighten the saddle and check her weapons.

She gave a startled cry when a hand suddenly grabbed her shoulder. Spinning around, she was ready for a fight and pulled out her dagger. She was surprised to see who it was that got her attention.

"Connor? Jesus you scared me." She felt her body shake from the adrenaline.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you like that." He gave her a small smile.

"It's alright. We're all just a little jumpy around here." She realized she was still pointing the dagger at him and put it back into its sheathe. Looking back at him, she saw that he was staring at her. There was so much she wanted to say to him, but she just didn't know how.

"So, you're going with them." He said, finally breaking the silence, "To go hunt the Dullahan and the, uh…"

"Necromancer. Yes, I am." She said bluntly. She could tell by the tone of his voice that he wasn't happy with the idea of her going. She watched as his mind raced for something to say, something to convince her that she should go. Before he could open his mouth, she interrupted, "I have to do this. I have this feeling that somehow I'm responsible. You were right, I should've warned everyone instead of holding it in."

"No, it wouldn't have mattered. I understand that. I was just angry, I don't blame you for Liam's death, for anyone's death." His face softened and he placed a hand on her face, "I don't want to see you hurt."

Her eyes watered and she placed her hand on his. "I have to go…" she said softly.

"I'll come with you…"

"No." she interrupted, "It's my responsibility to help Van Helsing. You'll be safer here."

"You haven't seen my death." He stressed.

"And I don't want to. Stay here, protect our people incase we fail." She said.

"Kathleen!" Van Helsing called. He and Carl were already on their horses, ready to set out. "We can't waste any time."

She looked into Connor's eyes and lightly touched his face. She couldn't say goodbye, there was nothing she could say, the words just weren't there. She mounted her horse. Looking at Connor one last time she rode off after Van Helsing and Carl.

*****

Carl ran out of the inn after gathering the weapons they would need for dispatching the monsters. He walked by Kathleen who was talking to the man known as Connor whom he met when he first arrived. Carl could plainly see that there was a connection between the two. He quickly made his way to the stable where Van Helsing had already saddled two horses.

"Will Kathleen be joining us?" he inquired.

"Yes." He simply said.

"Ah." Carl placed the bag on the ground and pulled out a few weapons to hand to the hunter. "Silver stake, gold tipped bullets…" he said, handing the weapons one by one to Van Helsing who proceeded to put them in their appropriate places.

As he took the gold bullets, he began to load his gun with them. "Not that they did much good last time." He said.

"Well yes, I've been thinking about that and I think I know why it didn't work. Aim for the head. It seems to be where the highest concentration of the Dullahan's power is."

"I'll be sure to do that." Van Helsing was about to lead his horse out of the stable when Carl stopped him. In his hand was a strange looking stake.

Van Helsing gave him a confused look, "A clear stake?"

"This is no ordinary stake. It has two parts: this clear pointed section is filled with ground silver and high pressured holy water, the second part pulls out and locks into place. It's used for close combat, a final blow to the monster. You first pull out the sliding part, then jam the stake through your enemy. Finally, you slam down on moving part which breaks the tip and sends high pressured holy water and silver into the chest cavity. The liquid is then carried through the entire body, there's no way anything evil could survive." Carl sounded so assured of himself.

As always, Van Helsing was impressed with the things that came from the mind of the friar. "Good thinking Carl. I'm sure this will be of some use."

Van Helsing and Carl led their horses out of the stable and mounted them. Van Helsing turned and saw Kathleen a short distance from them talking to Connor. There was sadness and concern on her face.

"Kathleen." He shouted, getting her attention. "We can't waste any time." Then he started off with Carl following closely behind. A moment later, he heard Kathleen's horse quickly approach and ride up beside him. "Which way?" he asked, knowing she would sense the Necromancer.

She closed her eyes for a moment as she tried to feel for death. Slowly opening her eyes, she looked to her right, "This way, follow me." She said bringing her horse up to a run, followed by Van Helsing and Carl.

*****

The sun was beginning to set, they had spent several hours looking for the Necromancer. Kathleen had led them to a small forest where she had last sensed him. But it seemed every time Kathleen had gotten a good feel for where he was, she lost it once they got close. The Necromancer was sending them on a wild goose chase and Van Helsing was starting to get annoyed.

"He's moved again. But he was here." Kathleen said, anger was rising in her voice. She turned and looked at Van Helsing, "He's toying with me."

But Van Helsing wasn't concentrating on her. It looked as if he was hearing for something else in the woods. This didn't go unnoticed by Kathleen or Carl. He suddenly dismounted his horse and walked to the side of the road and stared out into the trees. Both Kathleen and Carl dismounted and walked to his side.

"What do you see?" Carl asked, panic rising in his voice.

Van Helsing didn't answer. Instead, in the blink of an eye, he slipped out a tojo blade and threw it into the woods. A second later, a yelp was heard coming from darkness of the trees. Van Helsing quickly ran into the woods, followed by a stunned Kathleen and an anxious Carl. Van Helsing had caught something in the woods, fifteen feet away in the filtered light of the sun. As they got closer, they could see the shadow of whatever it was he caught.

They made their way to a small clearing and Kathleen was shocked to see what Van Helsing had caught.

"Connor?" she said in disbelief.

There was Connor, pinned by his jacket to a tree by Van Helsing's tojo blade. On his belt were a pistol on one side and a sword on the other.

Van Helsing walked over and freed Connor from the tree, "Just what I need. Another local to get himself killed."

"I don't plan on getting myself killed, I plan on killing the Dullahan." He said with annoyance.

Kathleen stormed up to Connor and shoved him hard against the tree he had just been freed from. Van Helsing raised an eyebrow in amusement. "I told you to stay behind! I told you that it was too dangerous!" Her voice had risen considerably, "Why didn't you listen to me, tell me why you have to risk your life! Tell me!" Her voice got louder and louder as she began yelling at him in gaelic.

It looked to Van Helsing that Kathleen was going to start taking swings at Connor. Before she could do some harm, he grabbed her and pulled her away from Connor. She struggled against his grip but he was much stronger than she was. She continued to yell at Connor but most of what she said was lost.

"That's enough! Kathleen! Enough!" Van Helsing yelled. He turned her around so that he stood between her and Connor and looked her in the eyes. There was nothing but hurt in them. "Calm down."

Lowering her head, she took a few deep breaths. She had calmed a bit and looked back at Van Helsing, "I'm alright."

He turned back to Connor who stood there, a look of guilt mixed with determination on his face. "How did you find us?" Van Helsing demanded.

"A hunch, this is the direction the Dullahan dragged Liam. I've been coming here every night since hoping he'd show." He replied. "He has yet to do so. But I figured that with you out tonight, he just might make an appearance."

"Look, I know you're upset over the loss of your friend and I understand that you want your revenge but it's too dangerous for you out here. It would be best if you…"

Van Helsing was interrupted by a loud gasp coming from Kathleen. He could see by the look on her face that she sensed something nearby. She had become agitated and her eyes were darting around looking for what it was she felt.

"What is it?" he quickly asked.

"It feels like death." She whispered.

"Necromancer…" he growled.

"No, not the Necromancer." She was confused, unable to determine what it was that caused the feeling of death.

"Well, if it isn't the Necromancer then what else could it be?" Carl asked.

Just then, eleven figures rose straight out of the ground as if being pulled by a string attached to their heads. They surrounded the group and were poised to attack.

"The walking undead would be a good possibility." Kathleen said, answering Carl's question. As she looked at them, she could see a few of them had to be the ones the Dullahan had taken. The rest looked a little more decomposed as if they had been dead for years.

"This is a nice little development." With that, Van Helsing slipped his tojos out and quickly sliced through a nearby undead, taking its head off. The corpse collapsed to the ground and a fine green mist emanated from it.

After seeing one of their own fall, the rest of the undead attacked and all hell broke loose.

*****

Connor had been grabbed from behind by two of the undead. They threw him further into the forest and he went flying, slamming against a tree. He felt his head hit hard and he had to fight the urge to let the darkness consume him. He managed to regain some of his bearings, just in time to avoid being punched by one of the undead. Stepping and dodging, every one of their swings missed Connor, but each time they got just a little closer. Connor unsheathed his sword and sliced off the arm of one of the attackers. It gave an unearthly cry, a deep guttural sound of a dying animal. The other one tried to jump him from the side but Connor spun out of the way and separated the head from its body. The second undead charged but also found itself without a head.

A green mist escaped from the corpses and dissipated into the air. Connor breathed a sigh of relief but could hear the others continuing to fight the remaining undead. He was about to make his way over to help the others when he saw a shadow in front of him. He griped his sword tightly and prepared to attack when it spoke.

"Well done, Connor. You were always better at that than I." the voice had the quality of an eighty year old chain smoker, a croaking sound full of phlegm. But despite this, Connor would recognize that voice anywhere.

"Liam." At the sound of his name, Liam stepped out of the shadows and into the sun's fading light. Connor got a good look at the corpse of his friend. His eyes had sunken in and were hollow looking. His entire face, his entire body for that matter, had seemed to collapse in on itself. The skin had a sickly grey-green color to it and it was peeling.

"You don't seem so happy to see me Connor. It's me, your best friend. The one you let die." He snarled.

"There was nothing I could do to save you, you know that. I wish it had been…"

"Oh save your wishes. Now it's time for you to die." He then leaped at Connor.

Connor couldn't shake the feeling of guilt in time to move out of the way before Liam had made contact and knocked him backwards onto the ground. He felt his sword fly from his hand and couldn't see where it had gone. Liam had landed somewhere above his head and bent over to pick something off the ground. Connor could see in his hands was a very large rock, larger and heavier than a normal human could carry. Liam moved to throw the rock onto Connor's head and as the rock came flying towards him, Connor quickly rolled out of the way and onto his feet.

He unholstered his pistol and aimed it at the last place he had seen Liam. But Liam wasn't there. Looking around, Connor couldn't see him. Liam appeared at his side and knocked the gun from Connor's hand and punched him in the face. Connor took a few steps back and took up a boxing stance.

"Have you forgotten Connor that I am the best boxer?" Liam taunted.

Liam attacked Connor, throwing punch after punch, connecting every one. Connor managed to make a few of his own but Liam had managed to dodge most of them. Liam was just too fast for Connor and connected a punch to the head that sent Connor to the ground. As he laid there, Connor could see Liam standing over him, his own sword in Liam's hand.

"Time to die Connor." Liam's hand lifted high in the air and was about to drive into Connor's heart when it seemed he had been struck by something. Some sort of pain had washed over him and he screamed as he quickly sank into the ground.

Connor was confused as to what had just happened. Not that he wasn't grateful, by all accounts he should be dead, but something had driven Liam off. Picking up his sword that had been dropped beside him, he stood up and looked around. In the distance, he saw an eerie blue glow.

"Oh no."

*****

It seemed to him that each of the undead had already chosen their target ahead of time, before they had even showed up. Carl watched as two of them had grabbed Connor and thrown him into the forest as a third followed him in, the two females had attacked Kathleen, and four of the males had jumped Van Helsing.

That left one for him. This one was more skin and bones than the others, leaning more towards the bones area. It obviously had been dead for a very long time. There were still patches of hair on its head and a thin layer of dried skin.

It seemed to be sizing him up, seeing how much of a threat he really posed. Apparently it figured Carl was enough of a problem. It charged, skeletal arms stretched out, looking sharp enough to do some damage. It leaped and flew through the air.

It flew high enough for Carl to simply duck and it safely glided over him, landing head first into a tree. Carl turned around to face it. He watched as it stood up and had to turn its head back to face forward. It coiled for another charge.

Carl quickly searched around for something he could use to defend himself. He found something hard in one of his pockets and when he pulled it out, he found himself holding the accursed bottle of holy water.

"Oh damn it to hell." He mumbled. The undead gave predacious cry and began to run, intent on hitting its target. Carl once again struggled to open the bottle of holy water. He frantically pulled at the cork but it didn't seem to want to move. The undead was almost on top of him. It leaped and was in the air when Carl finally managed to open the bottle of holy water and throw some at the rapidly approaching undead. The creature reacted like it had been hit by acid and landed on the ground in front of Carl with a thud. Seeing the thing lying on the ground, Carl did the only thing he could think of to finish it off, he dumped the rest of the bottle onto it. The undead convulsed and disintegrated, and with one final cry it stopped. A green mist floated above it and dissipated.

Pleased with his accomplishment, Carl turned to head back to where the rest of the group was but stopped suddenly when he saw a strange blue glow.

*****

There was a momentary pause as the rest of the undead realized what he had done. Van Helsing eyed his next target, beckoning him to charge. He was suddenly aware of three other undead all leaping and landing on him at the same time. He could feel them clawing at him, trying to do what damage they could. Van Helsing felt his anger rising. Within him, the werewolf's power began to surface.

Instead of suppressing it, Van Helsing welcomed it and let it take over. He gave an animalistic cry and threw the undead off of him. He could feel his body had changed slightly to the werewolf form; his hands were more like a werewolf's, his muscles had strengthened, his eyesight and hearing became sharper, and he could feel the beginnings of fangs.

The undead that surrounded him looked surprised and unsure as to what to do next. Van Helsing made the decision for them. With a snarl, Van Helsing leaped forward and rammed into the closest undead, pinning it against a tree. Using his claws, he crushed its neck and it crumpled to the ground. He turned around in time to see the other three charge at him. He leaped up and over them and using his sword, he decapitated one in the center.

Seeing their tactic wasn't working, they took off into the woods. Not wanting them to escape, Van Helsing followed. He could hear them and smell them, the smell of decaying flesh. He could hear a strange crunching noise as if the ground was caving in. The noise randomly came and went and each time the position of the undead would change. Van Helsing was getting irritated, he couldn't attack them if they kept moving into the ground.

Suddenly, the ground shifted behind him as an undead rose from the ground. Van Helsing had little time to react before the second undead appeared to his right. He couldn't tell which one it was, but one of the undead managed to back-hand him across the face, sending him flying. He landed hard on his back, the undead swiftly approached. Van Helsing pulled out his shot gun and fired several times, hitting one in the shoulder and chest. The other was hit in the head, gut and had his arm shot off. Even with these wounds, they still were coming. Van Helsing rose to his feet and slipped out his tojo blade and wound it up. They stopped in their tracks, seeming to try to figure out what to do next. What they chose to do next was attack, Van Helsing was ready for them.

Just when it seemed as if they were going to attack, they stopped and screamed in pain. Van Helsing was sure he didn't do anything and no one else was around their immediate area. The pain seemed too much for them and they suddenly sank into the ground. Van Helsing looked around, trying to determine what had just happened. It occurred to him that there was a blue light coming from the clearing he had just been. Figuring that the light is what drove them away, Van Helsing made his way towards it.

*****

Kathleen knew that the two women closest to her would be the ones to attack her. After Van Helsing had destroyed one of the undead, she turned around to face them. She was surprised to see that she knew them; one was Bridget, the last one to be taken only a few days ago and the other was Alana, the second person the Dullahan had taken.

"It isn't them anymore" she told herself. She swung her staff around to a defensive position, "Come on." she beckoned. It happened faster than she anticipated and she couldn't tell which one attacked her first. It managed to take a swipe at her and scratch the back of her shoulder. Kathleen ignored the pain and swung back, hitting it on the head and sending it flying. The second one charged and ducked under as Kathleen swung the staff. The undead backhanded Kathleen with such strength that she went flying backwards and landed hard on her back. She saw a shadow rapidly flying towards her. Using her legs as leverage, she kicked the attacker up and back away from her. The other one rushed forward, trying to use a large branch to club her. Kathleen rolled out of the way and got to her feet. She faced her attacker, this time taking the offensive, ran forward.

The undead had been off her guard and found itself pinned against a tree with a dagger lodged into its chest.

"I'm sorry Alana." Kathleen whispered. And then, using the tojo blade Van Helsing had discarded earlier, she sliced the head off its head. She stepped back and watched as the body fell and a green mist rose up from it. She spun around when she heard a snap behind her. There she faced Bridget. She held tightly to the dagger, wishing she had her staff.

Then a wave of dizziness hit her and she became light headed. Her vision began to tunnel and she started to feel like she couldn't support her own weight.

"Not now, please God not now." She barely managed to whisper. She looked up at Bridget, who stood there staring at her. Instead of attacking, when it was obvious Kathleen was in a weak state, Bridget simply sank into the ground and disappeared.

Kathleen fell to her knees and she felt great despair, the sadness encompassed her like a thick blanket. Tears began to roll down her face as the weight of death fell upon her mind. She began to cry, feeling the build up of a keen. Time slowed for her as she witnessed a death that was to soon come.

*****

Van Helsing had made his way back to the clearing. On his left was Carl, standing awestruck at the sight. Straight ahead of him was Kathleen, on her knees curled over in obvious pain and enveloped in a blue light. He ran towards her, not sure what he was going to do but he had to do something for her. He was only slightly aware of the figure approaching him from the side. When it reached him, it grabbed Van Helsing by the arm and started pulling back. It took a moment for Van Helsing to realize that the figure was Connor, pulling him away from Kathleen.

"No! Get back!" Connor yelled.

"We have to help her." Van Helsing yelled back, angry that Connor was trying to stop him.

"There's nothing you can do for her. Get back and cover your ears."

Suddenly, Kathleen arched her back and started to scream. The force of her scream knocked the three men down. Van Helsing could only stare at the sight. Kathleen glowed brightly, an otherworldly blue. Energy radiated from her, her hair flew wildly and her eyes seemed to fill with white light. But it was the scream that was the most overwhelming part of what was happening to her. Van Helsing had heard her keen before but from a distance where it was less powerful and not as clear. But being closer to her, he could here that her scream wasn't just one single voice, but many voices. He could pick out several voices ranging from the very old to the very young, male and female.

Her scream got louder and louder, to the point where it was hurting the men's ears. It seemed there was no end to it. The men fell back and held their ears, trying to filter out the scream but it was no use. Just when it felt as if their heads were going to explode, she stopped.

Kathleen fell forward onto her hands, trying to catch her breath. She was drained, physically and emotionally. It was the same every time she saw death, all she needed was a moment to recover. She became aware of Van Helsing kneeling beside her, helping her sit up against a tree.

"Are you alright?" he asked, very concerned, he had never seen anything like this before.

"Yes, I'll be fine." She gasped for air. Lifting her head, she looked Van Helsing in the eyes, "I saw it, I saw where he hiding or at least…it's wherever he will bring his plans to completion."

"Where? When?" Van Helsing demanded.

"Tonight. It was one of the burial mounds, surrounded by fields and very little else."

"Burial mounds?" He asked, not understanding what she was talking about.

"There are three large burial mounds not far from here and not far from each other, but I'm not sure which one. I couldn't tell."

Van Helsing mulled over what she said. It then occurred to him that Kathleen was doing what she could not to look at him, looking away from him. "Whose death did you see?" She wouldn't look at him and was shaking her head. It was an answer Van Helsing was sure he wouldn't like, but he needed to know. "Whose death? Was it mine? Was my death?" he grabbed her by the shoulders and forced her to look at him, "Was it my death?" he demanded.

"No! It wasn't your death." She wispered, looking away from him. Tears were filling her eyes.

"Then whose?" he asked firmly. Kathleen took a deep breath then lifted her head up and looked Van Helsing in the eyes. Locking on to his eyes for a moment, they held the look of sorrow and guilt. Then her eyes moved away from his to something over his right shoulder.

Van Helsing watched her eyes move and quickly turned around and saw Carl standing there. Carl had heard the whole conversation and knew what it meant when Kathleen looked at him.

"Me?" His voice filled with surprise and fear.

"I'm sorry." Kathleen whispered.

Van Helsing turned back to Kathleen, "How does he die?" he asked.

Her mind searched for the answer, trying to remember the exact way she saw it happen. But her visions were always vague and she could only get the slightest hint of what happened. "I'm not sure, some sort of projectile through the chest. I don't know." She wished she could provide them with more information, there was none.

Van Helsing slowly stood up and walked over to Carl, placing a reassuring hand on the friar. "I promise not to let that happen, you just won't come with me to wherever the Necromancer is."

"But the legend says that once a Banshee sees your death, there's nothing you can do about it. I'm as good as dead." Carl was very disheartened, there was so much he still hadn't done.

Connor walked over to Kathleen and helped her to her feet. He held on to her hand and placed his other hand on her face, using his thumb to wipe a tear making its way down her cheek. "It'll be alright, don't worry."

Kathleen gave him the first genuine smile she had in a long time. She had almost forgotten how Connor had made her feel, he had been so angry for a long time that they had grown distant. She wanted to say something, but like always, the words escaped her.

Suddenly, she felt a chill up her spine. "Van Helsing!" she yelled, just as the Dullahan crashed through the trees.

Carl was knocked backwards. Van Helsing pulled out his pistols and began to fire, trying to aim for the Dullahan's head. Connor charged, sword in hand, to do what he could to help Van Helsing. Kathleen just stood there, her mind seemed to freeze and she felt powerless.

Then she felt it, the strong presence of death. It was close, almost like it was right next to her. Just as the thought crossed her mind, it appeared behind her, the Necromancer. She gave a small cry as he stunned her from behind, knocking her unconscious. She fell back into his arms.

Connor had heard Kathleen cry out and turned around in time to see her fall back into the Necromancer's arms. The Necromancer wrapped his arms around her.

"Kathleen!" he cried. Connor ran for the Necromancer, trying to grab at Kathleen. But before he could reach her, the Necromancer sank into the ground with her in his arms.

The Dullahan, seeing that his master had gotten away, quickly fled. Van Helsing continued to fire his pistols, but the Dullahan was too fast and once again had escaped. He holstered his weapon and looked around. He saw Carl on the ground and lent him a hand to help him.

"Still alive." Carl flatly stated.

Van Helsing gave him an amused look. He spotted Connor standing where Kathleen was supposed to be, but she wasn't there. In fact, she wasn't anywhere to be seen. "Where's Kathleen?" he called out to Connor.

Connor slowly turned around and faced Van Helsing. There was anger on his face, "He took her." He said, tears beginning to fill his eyes.

"What? Who?" Van Helsing hadn't seen anyone else around when the Dullahan attacked.

Connor looked him in the eyes, his face bright red from rage. "The Necromancer, he took Kathleen. He came up behind her and grabbed her. They're gone."


End file.
